Can exogenous ubiquinol increase plasma CoQ10 levels and improve mitochondrial function in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock?
Ubiquinol, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 38 adult patients (Crit Care 2015, PMID 26130237) — oral ubiquinol can increase CoQ10 levels in septic patients, but this pilot study did not show improvements in mitochondrial function or clinical outcomes. No differences were observed between the two groups for any of the secondary outcomes, including vascular endothelial biomarkers, inflammatory biomarkers, mitochondrial injury biomarkers, or clinical outcomes.
Source: Crit Care 2015, PMID 26130237 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: low
Crit Care · 2015 · PMID 26130237 · DOI 10.1186/s13054-015-0989-3
Oral ubiquinol can increase CoQ10 levels in septic patients, but this pilot study did not show improvements in mitochondrial function or clinical outcomes.
The question
Can exogenous ubiquinol increase plasma CoQ10 levels and improve mitochondrial function in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock?
What they tested
The provision of exogenous ubiquinol will increase plasma CoQ10 levels and improve mitochondrial function in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock, given previous findings of decreased CoQ10 in septic shock.
How they did it
This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial conducted at a single hospital. 38 adult patients (19 in each group) with severe sepsis or septic shock received either 200 mg enteral ubiquinol or placebo twice daily for up to seven days. Blood samples were collected at baseline, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours to measure CoQ10 parameters (total, relative to cholesterol, oxidized, and reduced CoQ10) as the primary outcome, and secondary outcomes included vascular endothelial, inflammatory, and mitochondrial injury biomarkers, as well as clinical outcomes. Repeated measures models were used for group comparisons.
What they found
The ubiquinol group showed a significant increase in total CoQ10 levels, CoQ10 levels relative to cholesterol, and levels of oxidized and reduced CoQ10 compared to the placebo group. No differences were observed between the two groups for any of the secondary outcomes, including vascular endothelial biomarkers, inflammatory biomarkers, mitochondrial injury biomarkers, or clinical outcomes.
What it means
Oral ubiquinol administration successfully increased plasma CoQ10 levels in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. However, this pilot trial did not demonstrate an improvement in mitochondrial function or clinical outcomes.
Limitations
This was a pilot trial, and further research is needed to determine if ubiquinol administration can lead to improved clinical outcomes in this patient population.
The paper at a glance
| Title | Ubiquinol in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial |
|---|---|
| Journal | Crit Care |
| Year | 2015 |
| PMID | 26130237 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1186/s13054-015-0989-3 ↗ |
| Topic | NAD⁺, sirtuins & cellular energy |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
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Ubiquinol (Reduced CoQ10)
In human trials CoQ10 has been studied mainly as an adjunct in cardiovascular disease: the Q-SYMBIO randomized trial reported roughly halved major adverse cardiovascular events in chronic heart failure, and a 2024 meta-analysis of 33 heart-failure trials found lower all-cause mortality (RR 0.64) and hospitalization…
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10, ubiquinone) is a fat-soluble compound the body synthesizes and also obtains in…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). Can exogenous ubiquinol increase plasma CoQ10 levels and improve mitochondrial function in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock? [Plain-English summary of Crit Care 2015, PMID 26130237, DOI 10.1186/s13054-015-0989-3]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d26130237.html@misc{magellan_d26130237,
title = {Can exogenous ubiquinol increase plasma CoQ10 levels and improve mitochondrial function in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d26130237.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 26130237; DOI 10.1186/s13054-015-0989-3; Crit Care 2015. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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